A Moan a Day Keeps Stress Away

Why is life so complicated? Nothing is ever easy. When I was younger my biggest problems were making sure I had the latest Nintendo DS, the one that all my friends had, or not being able to go to my friends party because I was on holiday. Can you imagine the drama? Now, just over a decade later I am weeks away from finishing my BA Hons Fashion Journalism degree and finding a job once I graduate while juggling my current part time job in London. On top of that, I have very unwisely booked 3 holidays within 2 months of each other not figuring that I need this valuable time to organise my life, literally. So yes life is stressful but I am indeed guilty of adding to that stress myself. I keep telling myself things could be worse (and yes they could be really, truly awful) but I suppose I am just having a moan. Brits apparently moan on average 7 times a day, so here goes.

Let me tell you about my third year at university. First of all it has flown by, and I mean really sped along terrifyingly fast. After the dissertation (hell on earth), needless presentations, planning upon planning upon planning for my FMP - final major project - I haven't really had a chance to enjoy my third and final year in education. I'm not planning on doing a masters after this, you've got to be joking. Our FMP, the big final project which has loomed hauntingly on the horizon for two years is upon me. We, my fellow classmates and I, must create a magazine, each. What a lot of fun you must be thinking. How creative, clever and... EASY. You have no idea how stressful, time consuming, frustrating and just difficult this project is. From start to finish it has been a headache because when you create a print magazine on your own, with no support and no team, there is a lot of work to do. You must create the content, written and imagery, organise the photo-shoots, commission illustrators and contributors, choose advertising, pay for images, organise the printing costs, design the layout... the list is endless. As I write this I am waiting for InDesign to finish downloading on my laptop. 

There is a lot to do basically. And it's an expensive process. As well as spending £9000 a year on uni fees you also have to fund the magazine yourself. A friend of mine spent £200 on one shoot. Yes, one photo shoot. I'm not planning on selling my magazine to other retailers and have no intention of making an issue 2 of the publication (I'd rather slit my wrists) so this magazine will serve as a nice portfolio to take to future job interviews. And of course it's something to show my grandchildren when I'm 80 and past it all, struggling to remember why I was so stressed making it. 

We all have stress in our lives. Things are tough, and in London more so. But when this magazine project is over in just over a month, I will shake off that stress, live life and smile at my graduation knowing that all my hard work paid off. 

PS. When inDesign finished loading on my Mac, I picked up my laptop while holding a cup of coffee in the other hand. Because of my awkward grip I held it in while trying not to spill my drink, I accidentally pulled the screen back and now it won't work :) Peace out.

Waiting to go on holiday like...

Vogue Japan: If I were a Rich Girl

The month of March wouldn't be complete if I didn't fan girl over a Giampaulo Sgura shoot. The photographer, and regular Vogue Japan contributor, is in my humble opinion one of the most talented photographers working in fashion industry right now. His stunning editorials which are often styled by another hero of mine Anna Dello Russo, are captivating, enchanting, beautiful and never fail to portray a sumptuous narrative. 

I came across this particular shoot titled 'All the Rich Girls can Have' by chance while scrolling through Pinterest. This editorial is a few years old from the October 2012 issue of Vogue Japan, styled by Dello Russo and starring Dutch model Ymre Stiekema as a very glamorous Marie Antoinette. The looks are incredible, with pieces by Prada, Oscar de la Renta, Dolce and Gabbana, Balmain and Alberta Ferreti to name just a few, while the huge candy floss wigs placed on Ymre's head recall the decadent regency style of late1700s. I love the elaborate settings in no other than the Palace of Versailles, stylish angles and fun, lady like feel of the whole shoot which Sgura captures beautifully. Take a look at the stunning photographs below and be transported back in time to a period of wealth, prosperity and of course, rich girls...

She Wears the Trousers

It may surprise you that actress Katharine Hepburn won a staggering four Academy Awards during her Hollywood career - more than even the great Meryl Streep. Hepburn was nominated 12 times overall for the acclaimed Oscars, but it was her acting roles in 'Morning Glory,' Guess who's Coming to Dinner,' 'The Lion in Winter' and 'On Golden Pond' which won her the jackpot, four times. It's a great trivia fact just because it's so unexpected. Katharine Hepburn was one of the great Hollywood actresses in the 1940s and 50s with a career which spanned right up to the 80s and beyond, giving her a huge 60 year time span in the movie business. She made her last screen appearance in 1994, and passed away in 2003 aged 96. If you don't know an awful lot about Hepburn (and often confuse her with Audrey) then keep reading - she was quite a character and most importantly - extremely stylish creating a look for herself unlike any other actress at the time.

With Cary Grant on set.

Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born on the 12th May 1907 to wealthy parents in Connecticut. A tomboy as child, Hepburn grew up with her six siblings with a particular penchant for golf, before deciding that acting was what she wanted to do during her college years. In 1921, Hepburn came home to find her brother had hung himself and died - an incident which deeply effected the budding actress and made her extremely suspicious and shy of just about everybody, even her friends. After this traumatic experience, she went into theatre productions, often getting fired from plays, and it wasn't until she was 25 in 1932 that Hollywood picked her up to star in 'A Bill of Divorcement' with John Barrymore. After the success of that movie, Hepburn went on to film 'Morning Glory' and a personal favourite of hers 'Little Women' where she played Jo March. The 1930s weren't great for Hepburn. She made a lot of movies which failed at the box office and she soon fell out of favour with Hollywood bosses.

But, in 1939, Hepburn made one of her most famous films 'The Philadelphia Story' which was a massive success. From then on the reviews were positive, with movies such as 'Bringing up Baby,' 'The African Queen' with Humphrey Bogart and 'Woman of the Year' all cementing Hepburn's acting legacy. I could go on to list all of Katharine's movies but there really are so many of them it would bore you silly. But what I liked about Hepburn was that she was so different from other Hollywood actresses. She was immensely private, and only ever married once at the start of her career aged 21, even though her 26 year affair with Spencer Tracey was widely publicised. She had no children too. But her style is something to celebrate.

Hepburn loved her trousers, favouring high cut styles with silky blouses. In a time when women were expected to dress like women and men expected to dress like men, Katharine broke all the rules and was considered a style icon by many for her unconventional sense of fashion. Her tomboy style, flat shoes, messy hair and love of tailoring was indeed inspiring and very different. Of course, it helped that she was tall and could carry off these long, lean lines. But she was glamorous too, with her wavy brown hair and evening dresses which many women copied after seeing her style on screen. She was different and people like different - a little like Lady Gaga's appeal today.

Katharine Hepburn isn't one of my favourite actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood, but I have to acknowledge her incredible sense of style. And seeing that it was International Women's Day this past Wednesday, why not celebrate Hepburn as an early female movie legend - doing whatever she wanted (often demanding a lot of money for her movie parts) and sticking to her rules in an industry which was, and still is, run by men. She is an inspiration to women all over the world and her four Oscars are something which just can't be ignored - stylish and talented rolled into one.

3, 2, 1 Lift Off! Chanel Shoot for the Stars

Today Karl Lagerfeld brought a white rocket to his latest Chanel show. Never one to disappoint, the designer used the giant missile as a prop for his line up of models to walk around as they journeyed down the catwalk in space age styles. Metallic dresses, shiny foil shawls, white boots with the classic black toe cap, tweed suits in grey, white and black tones... this collection was subdued (compared to the Couture show in January) and very cool. There were still all the Chanel-isms present, such as the quilting, heavy costume jewellery and loose, shapeless silhouettes but this show was definitely targeting a younger client. It was also refreshing to see a number of menswear looks on the catwalk, as Lagerfeld never usually mixes mens and womenswear together. This season it seems, he has a change of heart. From the silver headbands models wore pushing their hair back in a 60s beehive style to the casual bags which were slung across the body, Chanel Fall 2017/18 was fun yet sophisticated. We expect nothing less from Chanel.

Bella Hadid on the Chanel catwalk - note the amazing eye make up.

Gigi Hadid sports a beehive with classic hounds-tooth jacket

Dior bring back the Beret for Autumn/Winter 2017

Maria Grazia Chiuri really is on a role. Three seasons in for Dior now and she shows no signs of slowing down. Today, the Christian Dior Fall 2017-18 collection was presented to a front row which included Rihanna, Kate Moss and Siena Miller to rapturous applause and praise. From the catwalk to pretty much most of the clothes, Chirui was feeling blue in most of the looks she sent down her runway. From the frayed denim pieces and the ruffled skirts, to the satin dresses and knee high suede boots - everything came in varying shades of blue. There were small injections of black and white, but for the most part indigo, cobalt and sapphire did the talking. All the models wore black berets too, a part of the stereotypical French cliche France just can't seem to shift. But these berets looked powerful, strong and militant paired with leather and fierce accessories while oversized jumpers and tulle skirts added a sweetness to proceedings. See some of the best looks below...

Rihanna on the front row in head to toe Dior.